The invention relates generally to processing of photosensitive material.
More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus, e.g., a printer or developing machine, for processing photosensitive material such as photographic paper or film.
It is known to transport reels of photographic material in wheeled cassettes which are provided with a spool for the photographic material and have an opening serving as an entrance or exit for the material. Photographic processing apparatus capable of operating with such cassettes are likewise known and a conventional apparatus of this type includes a processing station as well as cassette locating means on either side of this station. One side of the processing station constitutes an inlet for photographic material to be processed and the associated cassette locating means functions to properly locate a supply or take-off cassette, i.e., a cassette with a reel of photographic material to be processed, in an operative position adjacent to the inlet. The other side of the processing station constitutes an outlet for material which has undergone processing and the corresponding cassette locating means serves to properly locate a take-up cassette, that is, a cassette with an empty spool, in an operate position adjacent to the outlet. The apparatus further includes means for automatically conveying photographic material from the take-off cassette into the processing station and automatically threading the material into the take-up cassette.
A copying apparatus of the type described above is known, for example, from the West German Offenlegungsschrift No. 31 51 932. The copying apparatus is designed so that a roll of photographic material from a take-off cassette placed adjacent to the apparatus can be automatically threaded into the latter. A mobile cassette which can be used in conjunction with such a conventional copying apparatus is known from the West German Offenlegungsschrift No. 31 50 495. Moreover, the use of such mobile cassettes together with copying apparatus having automatic paper infeed and outfeed devices is known from commercially available apparatus of this type.
When the take-off cassette becomes empty and the take-up cassette becomes full in a conventional processing apparatus, operating personnel must remove the cassettes and replace the latter with a fresh take-off cassette and a fresh take-up cassette, respectively. This requires monitoring of the degree of filling of the cassettes, either visually or by means of appropriate indicators on the apparatus, and the presence of operating personnel.
A copying apparatus equipped with a pair of vertically oriented rotary discs has also been proposed. One of the discs carries several take-off cassettes while the other carries a number of take-up cassettes. When a take-off cassette becomes empty or a take-up cassette becomes full, the next cassette is automatically rotated into the respective operative position. This apparatus has the drawback that deposition of the large cassettes on the rotary disc is relatively difficult. Furthermore, the drives for the rotary discs must be capable of moving the large masses of the several cassettes carried by the discs. This makes the overall arrangement large as well as heavy.